Arizona Department of Transportation SR 179 Improvement Project
(800) 529-2876 www.scenic179.com pr@scenic179.com

Welcome to the State Route (SR) 179 Project Weekly Construction Update - your electronic connection to the SR 179 Project with the most current information on construction plans and activities.

Please note: Changes to construction plans can happen frequently due to weather, equipment availability and personnel issues. We try to anticipate construction activities a week in advance but changes may occur. Intermittent lane closures, with short delays, may not always be known in advance.

What to watch for the week of April 23:

What's New on SR 179

General work hours for SR 179 construction will be from 6 am to 4 pm weekdays, beginning Monday, April 23, with some possible weekend work.

Arizona Water Company utility work between Ranger and Schnebly Hill Roads will begin a 24 hour operation Monday 6 a.m. to Friday 6 a.m. starting Monday, April 23. This work will occur for approximately four weeks.

Paving on SR 179 is scheduled to begin toward the end of April near Ridge Trail, Jacks Canyon, and Back O’ Beyond.

The Templeton Trail is being re-routed through a new box culvert in the Coconino National Forest near the new southbound alignment of SR 179.

On Canyon Diablo between Cortez and Bell Rock, where a Yavapai County drainage project is under construction, additional 25 mile per hour speed limit signs will be posted along with an additional speed radar device. Law enforcement patrols will be increased to include this section as a special enforcement zone. Please follow the detour signs and obey speed limits through the neighborhoods.

SR 179 Environmental News

SR 179 is in an environmentally sensitive area, especially with Oak Creek nearby. Therefore, every two weeks, or more often if there has been one-half inch of rain or more, ADOT checks to make sure that sediment, a pollutant, is contained within the project limits as much as possible. A recent inspection by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) found no major citations and commended the construction team’s efforts on a job well done, saying they “wished all projects were as good as this one.”

SR 179 Communications

Tune in to KAZM AM 780 at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 24, to hear the latest on the SR 179 construction. The show will be repeated at 12:15 p.m.

ADOT hosts Construction Chat on the first Thursday of each month from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the SR 179 Project Office in Bell Rock Plaza. The next Construction Chat will be Thursday, May 3. 

Ongoing Work on SR 179

The retaining wall north of the new Ranger Station is complete except backfilling on one side. Traffic will continue to be shifted westward onto temporary pavement until the new roadway is in place.

Storm drain work throughout Project 1 is ongoing. Business access will be maintained, although intermittent driveway closures are necessary. The closures are minimized and expedited to the extent possible. Temporary concrete barrier is installed to help traffic flow, and blue business access signs are installed to guide traffic through the construction zone. There may be minor traffic impacts such as shoulder closures or construction vehicles needing access to the road, or lane closures with flaggers/DPS present.

Work for new bridge construction in the forest segment is ongoing near milepost 309.5, and there may be short duration flagging operations. The HT Trail will be closed through Spring 2007.

Project 2 Utility Work

Back O’ Beyond to Copper Cliffs (APS, Qwest and Cable Vision)
APS trenching crews are working between Back O’ Beyond and Highland Road. Work will be concentrated between Back O’ Beyond and Chapel Road, and between Sombart Lane and Highland Road.

The overhead power crews are working between Morgan Road and Copper Cliffs Drive. Their crews will continue to work in the corridor until approximately the end of April. The public can expect to see APS, Qwest and Cable Vision crews and their contractor adjacent to the roadway in this area.

Bowstring Drive (City of Sedona)
The City of Sedona is installing two new sewer service connections just north of Bowstring Drive on the west side of the road. This work is expected to be completed by May 21.   

Canyon to the Y (Arizona Water)
Arizona Water Company is installing a new 16-inch water line with current work between Ranger Road and the Oak Creek Bridge. They will continue south along SR 179 and installation is scheduled to be completed by mid-July.